Trott's debut ton keeps England on track for Ashes

Jonathan Trott's debut hundred left England eyeing a stunning Ashes triumph as they closed in on a series-clinching victory in the fifth and deciding Test at the Oval here on Saturday.

Australia, at stumps on the third day, were 80 without loss - still needing a further 466 runs to reach what would be a new Test record fourth innings victory total of 546.

Trott's 119 was the centrepiece of England's second innings 373 for nine declared in a match where a win would see them regain the Ashes by taking the series 2-1.

Victory would also leave Ricky Ponting with the unwanted record of becoming the first Australia captain in over a century, since Billy Murdoch, to be in charge of two losing Ashes tours of England following his side's 2005 reverse.

But openers Shane Watson (31 not out) and Simon Katich (42 not out) ensured Australia made a sound start to their imposing chase.

England, at tea, were 290 for seven.

Trott was 83 not out and Graeme Swann 34 not out, with part-time Australia spinner Marcus North taking Test-best figures of four for 98.

Australia took the new ball immediately after tea but England responded by thrashing their pace bowlers for 83 runs in 12 overs.

Swann, dropped on 47 by Ponting, made a dashing 63 off just 55 balls as he added 90 for the eighth wicket with Trott at better than a run-a-ball.

Trott, picked in place of the dropped Ravi Bopara, retained his composure although on 97 he nearly played on to Ben Hilfenhaus.

But his clipped four off the swing bowler took South Africa-born Trott to a hundred in 182 balls with nine boundaries in just over five hours.

The 28-year-old, qualified to play for England through his English father, became the 18th England batsman to make a century on Test debut and the first to do so against Australia since Graham Thorpe at Trent Bridge in 1993.

His hundred was only the second by an England batsman this series after captain Andrew Strauss's 161 in their 115-run second Test win at Lord's and was a vindication of the faith the selectors had shown in handing a debut to Trott, in superb form for Warwickshire this season, in such a high-stakes match.

He was eventually last man out, caught by North off Stuart Clark.

Four years ago an Oval hundred by a South Africa-born batsman, the now injured Kevin Pietersen, had helped regain the Ashes for England with a draw - Trott's innings may yet enable them to do so with a win.

Strauss declared to set Australia would be a new fourth innings victory total, surpassing the 418 for seven made by West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03.

Trott, together with Strauss (75), shared a fourth-wicket stand of 118 and demonstrated an admirable temperament after coming to the crease when England were struggling at 39 for three.

The only downside for England fans here was that Andrew Flintoff's final innings before the all-rounder's Test retirement saw him make just 22 before he holed out off North.

Primarily a batsman, North bowled 30 overs after Australia decided against recalling lone specialist spinner Nathan Hauritz and stuck with the team that won the fourth Test at Headingley by an innings and 80 runs.

Pace bowler Stuart Broad put England in pole position with a superb haul of five for 37 on Friday as Australia were bowled out for just 160 in reply to England's first innings 332 on a pitch which, while not the ideal batting surface associated with the Oval, was far from a terror track.